The Power of Intention

January 11, 2017Meredith Blis

Last week I sat in a meeting with friends. The gathering was focused on setting intentions for the year. We began by talking about the difference between intention and resolution. This Slight shift in verbiage enabled me to create Huge shift in mindset. Resolution to me (and the group) felt very rigid, hard, inflexible and subconsciously put a little bit of anxiety in my psyche. On the other hand, intention felt fluid, gentle, and open to possibilities. I wanted to share because it was helpful for me to think of setting intentions for the new year as opposed to goals or resolutions. The reframe (and keeping it simple, as I talked about last week ;) was really empowering for me!

THAT being said, this actually circles back to my little Beautiful Project. I looked at my intentions from last year. And the big thing I realized? Big goals often take much longer to unfold than we anticipate. I am learning to be a more patient soul with myself. And when we allow, sometimes the universe brings us more than we asked for.

Here’s what I mean

Let’s open my journal - I am going to share my goals from last year

1. Finish the Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful EP

OK, so we all know that didn’t happen, I switched producers mid-stream and everything took 10x longer than I anticipated. HOWEVER, the track came out better than I ever thought it could! This where my lesson of patience comes in….. This arena is not my forte. What I learned is that sometimes we have to slow things down in order to do them RIGHT. Creating quality and following your vision is so much important than meeting a deadline.

2. Debuting a Live Set with Ableton

OK - for those of you who aren’t music tech nerds - I will preface by explaining that Ableton is a music software that musicians use in live performance to loop, play tracks and create electronic sounds. HERE”S the secret….. I have been working on creating a live show that integrates Ableton, looping and triggers for almost 2 years. Sort of been keeping this on Down Low until I was ready to deliver. :)) How does this relate? I thought by this summer I’d be out and about playing with this gear, but the universe had a better plan. Last summer, I started collaborating with another musician, Tony Mann, and the result is so much more than I could have created on my own. The new electronic show will feature him on 2 keyboards with me on keys plus the toys you see pictured and Tim Denbo on cello! Once again patience has been key in getting this off the ground! Big goals Take time!

3. A song placement in film or tv

So I was kinda like, ok, this one is gonna have to be added to my intention list for 2017. I didn’t get the EP done, so I didn’t have new material to market for placements. Then….. I received an email last week that an young indie artist is going to be cutting one of my songs!!! I can’t say who or what song yet….. But it’s a tune I’ve played out And she has a pretty solid track record from the Voice and Idol. Also, this deal may include a sync license (film placement)! So fascinating how this manifested - it wasn’t how my brain imagined it, but perhaps it was even better. I’m so excited and still in shock! Remember to stay open, we never know what the universe have up it’s sleeve…..

That being said, I finished December feeling sniffly and drained and as though I hadn’t reached my 2016 goals. Once I took a second to reframe I see wow! I did! They just didn’t manifest in the way I envisioned. Dream Big my dear ones! Be open to change! Allow your intentions to soar. And be patient. If you're in Nashville - I hope to see you on the 20th!